I have a question about my horse that constantly runs up on the horse in front of him when we are on a trail ride. His ground manners are good and he is very affectionate on the ground. He is also good at home except that he doesn’t really like to leave his pasture mate. He will scream a few times but doesn’t try to get back to the barn. The biggest problem we have is that he runs right up on the horse in front of him when we are on these trail rides. Horses have kicked at him and once they missed and got me. How should we deal with this annoying and dangerous habit?

I agree that this is not only annoying, it is in fact down right dangerous. I have seen this many times while on trail rides and it is a problem that needs to be addressed. I applaud your efforts to understand this and to do what you can to turn this dangerous behavior around. The good news is that it is very fixable. The bad news is that there is no quick fix. This is a relationship problem. Your horse is not looking to you for leadership. You are basically going along for the ride (pun intended). The way to solve this problem is to re-establish yourself as the leader in this partnership. You need to own 51% of the partnership.

This all starts with how you lead your horse on the ground. When you walk away from your horse he should follow behind you. When you walk toward your horse he should move away from you. When you stop he should stop. If your horse doesn’t do these things you need to work on this. When leading your horse, every time your horse gets out of position calmly ask he to step back into the proper position. The proper position is wherever you decide that he needs to be. It is not acceptable for him to be out of position even if he is just calmly walking along. Constantly and consistently asking your horse to stay where you put him will get him to tune into you and develop his need to look to you for direction.

You would be surprised how much proper leading manners helps with your problem out on the trail. Next you need to be able to communicate effectively with your horse from his back. This is done by what is called giving to the bit. That means that you are able to pick up on the reins and ask your horse to move his hips, for example, to the side. Or you might ask him to move his shoulder over. The idea is that you and your horse are talking and if your horse is listening he will do what you ask and not be worrying about where the other horses are. The time to practice these two approaches is every time you lead or ride your horse.

Patient persistence that is consistent will in the long run pay off. I hope this helps and today you can begin your new relationship with your horse both he and you will be happier and more comfortable!

If you have a question about your please e-mail or call me and I will address it in the ask the Trainer column. Have fun and be safe.